Kuldeep’s refresher course, by the Ganga

Confined to his house due to the national lockdown, without access to proper training facilities, Yadav is still using the “meagre resources” at his disposal to work on his skills.

As a chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav belongs to a rare breed of spinners. His shock value was evident as he grabbed four quick wickets on Test debut to help India seal the 2017 home series against Australia. He then teamed up with leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, as the Indian team management banked on wrist spin as the wicket-taking option for the 2019 World Cup.

Kuldeep Yadav during India nets(IANS)

Yadav though faced some tough moments at the World Cup, especially when the England batsmen attacked and unsettled him. He was no longer an unfamiliar entity and batsmen used aggression to counter him. It was time the 25-year-old reinvented himself.

Confined to his house due to the national lockdown, without access to proper training facilities, Yadav is still using the “meagre resources” at his disposal to work on his skills.

“I can’t possibly have the luxury of a nets session. But with a bit of innovation, I’m trying to enhance my skills so that when the cricket season begins, I am sharp with my deliveries,” says Yadav from his home in Jajmau, a Kanpur suburb on the banks of the Ganga.

For nearly two months, he has spent around two hours daily on his terrace bowling at a white double bed-sheet hung over a clothesline. From about 20 feet, he bowls at the ‘wickets’ (marked on the sheet with black marker). He tries a clutch of variations—for left-handers and right-handers—and even celebrates a ‘wicket’ every few deliveries to stay motivated.

“It’s hard to improve you technique and bowl in the right spots and direction without a target. It’s very difficult to get the same hand-eye coordination when the batsman is not in front of you… you have to visualise a lot,” he says.

“If you are not in regular touch with your art, you will lose confidence. Polishing skills routinely keeps you in good rhythm. A chinaman bowler requires a different kind of ability as you have to imagine a lot many things before you bowl. Practice is the only thing which helps me stay focused,” says Yadav, who has 167 international wickets across formats.

The Ganga adds a new level of difficulty. “When the breeze comes from the river, the sheet sways and I imagine the batsman is shifting position at the crease and bowl accordingly, using a variation here and there. It forces me to concentrate harder... Since childhood, this has been part of my routine.”

Bowling head down

On people likening the skills of a chinaman bowler to that of leg-spinners—their stock delivery leaves the right-hander—Yadav says his bowling is a lot different.

“It requires a lot of hard work to polish your skills as one hardly gets to see the batsman in full… The chinaman bowler’s head is down while delivering the ball so he visualises things differently—keeping the head still while delivering makes a big difference.

“There has to be good eye-head-body co-ordination. If your body balance isn’t right, your head moves in the other direction. If the head tilts to the right, you will end up bowling a wide. It’s all about coordination; I work hard on this aspect of my bowling, says Yadav.

“I consider it (left-arm wrist spin) more dangerous because of the sharp turn you generate for a right-hander or away (drift) from the left-hander. There are chinaman bowlers the world over and I believe this skill can be honed if you start practicing it from an early age.”

Confidence, Warne

Yadav, who was asked to switch from pace to wrist spin by his coach Kapil Pandey at an early age, says he is confident of doing well for India. “Apne aap par vishwas sabse jyada hona chaiye (More than anything else, one must have belief in his skills). I have a lot of faith in my skills and work hard to stay motivated and energised. All the drills to sharpen your skills need to be executed routinely... if you wish to become a leg-spinner of Shane Warne’s repute you have to work on your skills sincerely.”

Yadav watches the bowling footage of Warne. “Watching Warne in action always gives you a different idea, to think about your delivery before bowling it. His skills are amazing, a big learning process for spinners.”

Son of a brick-kiln dealer, he is glad his coach is always at hand despite the lockdown. “Too much cricket gives you little time to focus on your basics. I am blessed my coach is always available as we live in the same locality.

“I am currently focusing more on the grip of the ball. He has been helping correct my basics as I hardly had time for such long discussions with Pandey sir while playing for India. In some ways, this lockdown has helped spend time with family and close ones and enjoy home-cooked food. Now I am desperate to get back to action as keeping away from outdoor practice is difficult.”

He focuses on weight training and yoga. He likes to keep rotating his arm while watching cricket on TV. “I don’t know how it happens, may be involuntarily.”

Yadav is against using substances other than saliva and sweat to shine the ball when play resumes post-Covid. Australia’s kookaburra company has developed a wax applicator to shine the ball.

“It won’t be good for the game, it would be ball-tampering,” he says. “Seamers will get maximum benefits. With the use of wax or cream, the ball would start reversing within 5-10 overs, and that isn’t good for the game.”

Yadav is in constant touch with skipper Virat Kohli, his limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma and wrist-spin partner Yuzvendra Chahal. “I always get good advice from Virat bhai. He told me to stay home and take care of my family members.”